It wasn't exactly a Glasgow kiss! Hughes plays down Ronaldo clash

Christiano Ronaldo was unlucky to get sent off against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday night according to the player he headbutted for his red card.

Ronaldo, who now has to serve a three-match ban for violent conduct, has been accused of recklessly responding to provocation by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

But Portsmouth's Richard Hughes says his jostling with Ronaldo before a late United corner was typical of what happens at the end of tense matches.

"It was the usual sort of scrimmage you get at a corner. A push and a shove led to myself and Ronaldo squaring up to each other," said the Scottish international midfielder.

"The last thing I thought was that either of us were going to get sent off at the time we went face-to-face. You often see footballers doing that, making a bit of contact with one another.

"I don't know whether Ronaldo meant to headbutt me. It wasn't a Glasgow kiss, I have received harder headbutts than that. I don't know if there was any intent - he came in a bit quicker than me and our heads clashed."

"The referee was standing right there and saw fit to issue a straight red."

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Hughes, who had only been on the pitch as a substitute for 15 minutes, does admit that Ronaldo appeared to be getting frustrated in a match which saw Portsmouth fight back after conceding an early goal to Paul Scholes.

"You can imagine their frustration," he said." "They had the game in the palm of their hand at one nil. And I think in that incident he was getting wound up. He swung a leg at me before the headbutt."